


time has changed the metaphor

by GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe



Category: RWBY
Genre: Found this in my drafts and decided why not, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Ironwood : why do I hear megalovania, JNR just love each other and their tiny son okay, Nora Valkyrie is a BAMF, Oscar Pine Needs a Hug, Other, Post-Volume 7 (RWBY), Spoilers: Volume 7 (RWBY), but he isn’t dw, fun fact: the working title was “oof ouch I made myself cry at 3am”, oscar is their son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25342300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe/pseuds/GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe
Summary: A speculation fic on JNR’s response to seeing Oscar fall at the end of Vol.7. References to blood are made, but none is shown.“Every single inch of her mind was filled with the image of Oscar’s wide, terrified eyes; and the nothingness in Ironwood’s.She wasn’t just going to break the fucker’s legs, — Nora decided viciously — she would smack him right on his skinned arm, for good measure.”
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Penny Polendina, Jaune Arc/Lie Ren, Jaune Arc/Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc/Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Penny Polendina & Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 17
Kudos: 124





	time has changed the metaphor

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this just after the finale came out and I had enough spoons to be mad. i’m still mad, but now quarantine has ruined me so you get this now. oops. thanks to the Oscar Pine Protection Squad discord for being awesome. love y’all xx.
> 
> edit: title taken from ribs by the crane wives. check them out, solid bops.

Nora could not remember even one moment in her life that she had been angrier. 

On either side, her teammates were distraught. Jaune — to her left — was whispering brokenly; the occasional whisper of “not again, please, not again” sent cracks shooting through her heart. Ren — on her right — was still holding his head in his hands, the very picture of a shattered man.

Even the usually loud and undefeatable Team RWBY was silent, aside from the odd murmur that split the air. Penny was mourning in her soft, quiet way; holding onto her friends and father for a smidgen of comfort. At the front of the plane, Maria was cursing up a storm to match the one on the horizon, mechanical eyes narrowed in fury and concentration.

Just a day ago, Oscar had been laughing loudly on her shoulders, freckled cheeks scrunched with the force of his joy as she lifted her teammates. He had clung to her back like a baby koala _(he had weighed about as much as one.)_ as she had carried her loving boyfriends on her biceps, the shriek of his startled laughter ringing in her ears.

Tightening her gloved hands around Magnhild’s handle, the ginger woman snarled at the mocking empty bar of Oscar’s aura level. Their youngest teammate, his hazel eyes wide. Eyes that she would never see again. Not if it was true. Except, they were hazel, not emerald. But still family.

~~_It’ll be just like Beacon again!_ ~~

Nora knew that her grief would pour out later, just as explosive and volatile as her rage — right now, however? She couldn’t of given less of a fuck if she had tried. Every bloody threat made at Team CRDL’s expense, somehow never followed through, seemed to merge into one roiling _mass._ She would find the bastard responsible, hunt them down, and _make them_ **_suffer._ **

No one hurt her family and got away with it. _No one._

Carefully, she kept a blue eye on the empty bar, just in case a miracle happened. But it didn’t. There were no more sudden semblance reveals, no hidden magic powers, _nothing._ They had used up their limited supply, none left, not a single hope to spare.

And didn’t that just grate away at her?

Pietro, Penny’s dad _(a dad to a robot. okay, she’d seen weirder things.)_ had soundlessly searched the footage of the night for any glimpse of their farm boy, even if it was just a second of that green coat. At his gasp, heads had reared, shadows in eyes retreating, an unspoken question on every pair of lips.

At their hopeful expressions, the doctor’s forehead had creased in dismay, regretful sorrow reflected in every line of his face. Swivelling, the screen showed the Vault of Creation — and a very, _very_ familiar set of figures. The larger of the two had been brushed off at first, all focus on the smaller body _(gods above he was_ **_fucking tiny._ ** _)_ and the way in which he had been backed against the edge of one of the raised platforms. 

And then at the way he had fallen.

Instantly, the stolen airship had been filled with an orchestra of outrage. Jaune’s scream had only just been drowned out by her roar, and even that was soaked with pain. Every single inch of her mind was filled with the image of Oscar’s wide, terrified eyes; and the nothingness in Ironwood’s.

She wasn’t just going to break the fucker’s legs, — Nora decided viciously — she would smack him right on his skinned arm, for good measure.

Not only had he made her boyfriends cry, _he had shot_ **_her_ ** _farm boy._ And that couldn’t go unpunished. She loved all of her boys; they were under her protection, as long as she could offer it. It was time _certain_ people learnt what that meant.

Starting with a certain dictator.

“He’s still gonna abandon Mantle,” Yang’s voice broke her haze, “We have to stop him.” _And bring Oscar home; whatever they could._

As Nora raised her eyes, a sea of determined faces met hers. It would end, tonight.

For Oscar. For Pyrrha. For them both, they would do this, or die trying.

**————————————————————————**

The airship landed wordlessly on the very deck it had been stolen from only an hour or so ago. _(had it really only been that long? how?)_

In the space of only a few glances, a plan had been made. Jaune, Ren, and Nora — alongside Penny — would go down to the Vault and get the staff, and Oscar. ( _if there was even anything to get.)_ Jaune would use his semblance if the opportunity presented itself, if not, they would simply bring him back with them, to be mourned when they had the chance. Team RWBY would go to Mantle, to fight the remaining swarms of Grimm, and help who they could. 

It would have to be enough.

The descent of the lift was quiet, but not awkward. How could it be, when every thought was consumed, every heartbeat spent? Anxiously, Penny folded and unfolded the sheet clasped between her gloved fingers. A precaution. Safe to say, Ironwood would not be walking away, not if Team JNR had anything to do with it.

At the sound of the elevator, the murderer in question looked up. His blue eyes were still empty, void of any emotion; void of _remorse_ . General James Ironwood gazed up at them for a moment before turning away, focused on the mighty door before him. As if _he didn’t_ **_care._ ** As if they were a _nuisance._ As if they weren’t mourning and _he was the_ **_cause._ **

_(that fucking asshole. how_ **_dare_ ** _he?)_

Like a slate being wiped clean, any thoughts of reasoning with the man were swept from her mind, instead being replaced by thoughts of retribution. Instinctively, Nora knew that her partners felt the same. Their family had been disrupted for the last time; they would lose no one else. They _could_ lose no one else. They simply wouldn’t survive. The next person would just take the rest with them, no matter the consequences.

Within seconds, the tiny lift had reached the platform, and it began.

The bastard had raised his gun already, even as he refused to acknowledge his guilt. But not for long. He was tired and in pain — he wouldn’t last long against their combined ferocity. Jaune _(wonderful, amazing jaune.)_ blocked each bullet with a raise of Crocea Mors, all the while Ren _(lovely, darling ren.)_ was firing Stormflower back. It was over in moments; he had hurt their youngest member, a death sentence to many. As Penny soared overhead, Nora swung Magnhild into the metal torso with a deafening cry. With a scream, the Tinman went down. 

Leaving him to his fate, the trio abandoned any thought of Ironwood, choosing instead to sprint to the edge of the bottomless pit _(the one he’d been_ **_shot off_ ** _, oh gods.)_ , desperate to catch either an impression of green rocket boots in the darkness, or what else — they didn’t know.

Thankfully, the newest Maiden soon came into view, her arms mercifully empty of any stained sheet. However, the ginger girl frowned, confusion sparking in her glowing eyes.

Jaune was the first to speak, voice filled with a fear that had only been given voice at the Fall of Beacon. 

“Where is he? Do-do you need help? To bring him up? Wh-what’s wrong?”

At her continued puzzlement, the blond’s voice had reached a plea.

“Penny, if you don’t want to do this, just-just bring one of us down. We’ll carry him, we promise. We just need to go and get him, then we’ll leave, okay? Just _please_ let us bring him home, we need to—“

“Oscar is not there.”

At her statement, all remaining members of the team fell quiet, temporarily shocked into silence.

Nora spoke next, anger beginning to reignite.

“What do you mean, _he’s not_ **_there?!_ ** You can see in the dark right, and I bet it’s hard to miss _all the fucking_ **_blo—_ ** _”_

“Oscar Pine is not at the bottom of the Vault. There is, instead, a large hole leading outside, directly above the Crater of East Mantle. My scanners detected no traces of organic matter anywhere in the proximity. That hole was not there an hour ago.”

_(wait,_ **_what._ ** _)_

The grief-turned-hope burned bright in the trio’s chests, a wary flame flickering in a harsh storm. They looked to one another, as liquid joy spilled out from their eyes and laughter ripped from their throats.

Ren’s whispered prayer of thanks echoed as the android girl’s statement registered. Soon enough, Jaune’s weeps of relief and Nora’s exuberant shouts joined the chorus.

He was alive. Oscar was alive!

( _thank the_ **_fucking_ ** _gods!)_

Their smallest, youngest member, was alive! He was out there, somewhere, and all they had to do was go and find him! He was probably going to be cold and afraid, but he would be _breathing_! 

Jaune — to her left — was sobbing openly and shamelessly, collapsed to his knees with glee. On her right, Ren murmured thanks after thanks, not even pausing to cleanse his eyes of overflowing tears.

And her?

Nora could not remember even one moment in her life that she had been more grateful.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
